It’s been a remarkable year for basketball prodigy Cooper Flagg, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Draft this past June. Flagg appeared in two Summer League games for Dallas before being shut down—capping his brief stint with a 31-point performance that gave the Mavericks’ coaching staff all the confirmation they needed that he’s their next franchise cornerstone. Before all of that, Flagg put together a historic freshman season at Duke.
Duke Sends 2-Word Message to Cooper Flagg After Exciting Announcement originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It’s been a remarkable year for basketball prodigy Cooper Flagg, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Draft this past June.
Flagg appeared in two Summer League games for Dallas before being shut down—capping his brief stint with a 31-point performance that gave the Mavericks’ coaching staff all the confirmation they needed that he’s their next franchise cornerstone.
Before all of that, Flagg put together a historic freshman season at Duke. He led the Blue Devils to 35 wins, an ACC regular season and conference tournament title, and a trip to the Final Four.
At just 18 years old, Flagg collected a slew of honors, including the Wooden Award, ACC Player and Rookie of the Year, and the Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year.
On Wednesday night, he added yet another accolade to his resume, winning Best College Athlete in Men's Sports at the ESPYs. Duke quickly responded with a proud and simple message on social media: "Yeah Coop!!!"
Yeah Coop!!! https://t.co/IE97cNCPS4
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) July 17, 2025
Duke fans reacted to the well-deserved accolade for their former star player.
"Congratulations Coop!!! So proud of you," a fan said.
Another person wrote, "This young man is going to need a large trophy case."
Someone else added, "Cooooop."
"From high school phenom to headline king this is just the beginning," one more fan commented.
Candice Ward-Imagn ImagesCandice Ward-Imagn Images
During his freshman season at Duke, Cooper Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game—leading the team in every major statistical category.
In his brief Summer League stint, Flagg impressed once again, averaging 20.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals over two games before being shut down by the Mavericks.
The next time fans see him in action, it will be as a full-time pro with Dallas, where he’ll take the court alongside stars like Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and, once healthy, former Duke standout Kyrie Irving.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
